Day 16 review: USA leads the way in swimming, Serbia in water polo

The epicentre of fans' passions on the penultimate evening of the 2015 FINA World Championships was the Water Polo Arena, where the water polo tournament concluded its final match. The fiercest battle unfolded for the 1st and 2nd place among men's teams, where Team Serbia eventually ad the upper hand. Team USA was the leader in the pool at the Kazan Arena Stadium: Katie Ledecky set a new world record, just like the US swim team in the mixed relay.

Florent Manaudou took gold in the men’s 50m freestyle.

“I’ve competed for the third time here in Kazan. Of course, I am happy, I couldn’t wish more. It’s a great feeling to claim gold. I knew I will be able to show my best swim but Nathan Adrian was faster than me in the semis. That’s why it was difficult for me in the final. However, I did it!” the French swimmer said after finishing the race.

FINA Worlds 2015. Swimming

Men. 100m freestyle.

1. Florent MANAUDOU (FRA) – 21.19

2. Nathan ADRIAN (USA) – 21.52

3. Bruno FRATUS (BRA)  - 21.55

Kazan Arena Stadium. August 8

Sarah Sjostrom of Sweden won the women’s 50m butterfly, setting a new world record as well as a new personal record.

"It was not really hard to race the 50m twice today. It's fine. I am usually racing in the 100m or 200m. I knew that I had to get many details right during this swim because the 50m is always very tough, you can't make too many mistakes. I think I did quite well today."

FINA Worlds 2015. Swimming.

Women. 50m butterfly

1. Sarah SJOSTROM (SWE) – 24.96

2. Jeanette OTTESEN (DEN) – 25.34

3. LU Ying (CHN) - 25.37

Kazan Arena Stadium. August 8

Emily Seebohm became the world champion in the women’s 200m backstroke.

"It’s never easy to gain a medal. It takes a lot of dedication, hard work and sacrifices as well. My preparation for this event was not very stable, because of a change of coach and dislocation. I can’t wait to share my happiness with my compatriot, Madison Wilson. It is her first World Championships,” Emily Seebohm said to reporters after her victory in the women's 100m backstroke event. 

FINA Worlds 2015. Swimming.

Women. 200m backstroke

1. Emily SEEBOHM (AUS) – 2:05.81

2. Missy FRANKLIN (USA) – 2:06.34

3. Katinka HOSSZU (HUN) – 2:06.84

Kazan Arena Stadium. August 8.

Chad le Clos was first to touch the wall in the men’s 100m butterfly event.

“After the 200m fly misfortune, I am glad that I managed to win today. I’m happy to have earned the gold medal. My dad was supporting me in the stands; it was something special. I admire Laszlo Cseh. He is a great swimmer. I will miss him after he retires,” the South African swimmer said after the victory.

FINA Worlds. Swimming.

Men. 100m butterfly

1. Chad LE CLOS (RSA) – 50.56

2. Laszlo CSEH (HUN) – 50.87

3. Joseph SCHOOLING (SIN) – 50.96

Kazan Arena Stadium. August 8.

American swimmer Katie Ledecky topped the podium in the women’s 800m freestyle. This swimmer who is rated high by US national team leader Ryan Lochte updated the world record today.

"I am really happy to finish on such a great note. I knew I could do something tonight, and I wanted to finish it up. I was thinking about the world record when going in. I would have been happy with just getting gold too. To go 8:07 means a lot to me. It was a really tiring week but I managed to recover every time. I am proud of how I handled all my races and how the week has gone," the US swimming sensation said to journalists. 

FINA Worlds 2015. Swimming.

Women. 800m freestyle.

1. Katie LEDECKY (USA) - 8:07.39

2. Lauren BOYLE (NZL) – 8:17.65

3. Jaz CARLIN (GBR) - 8:18.15

Kazan Arena Stadium. August 8.

Team USA triumphed in today's final in the pool, finishing the mixed 4x100m freestyle relay in 3:23.05. The team not only added the gold medal to its collection but also set a new world record.

"Missy Franklin did not have the lead until about the last metre of that race. So it was really exciting. Mixed relay is a lot of fun. It is a new event and is completely different from anything else. It may be a bit more relaxed. I think, in the course of time this sport will become more popular and more exciting," Olympic champion Nathan Adrian said. 

FINA Worlds 2015. Swimming.

Mixed. 4х100m freestyle

1. United States -  3:23.05

2. Netherlands – 3:23.17

3. Canada – 3:23.59

Kazan Arena Stadium. August 8 

The men’s decisive water polo matches took place this evening at the Water Polo Arena. In the bronze medal match, the teams of Greece and Italy clashed against each other to fight for bronze. Italy had already taken gold at the 2011 FINA World Championships and silver at the Olympic Games in London. But today Greece set the pace of the game, dominating most of the match. However, they were only able to clinch their victory in a penalty shootout.  

FINA Worlds 2015. Water polo.

Men. Final.

Croatia vs Serbia – 4-11 (2-2, 0-3, 2-2, 0-4)

Water Polo Arena. August 8

In the final, the tournament’s two favourites, Serbia and Croatia, met. Before the crucial match, both rivals were undefeated in the tournament.  

Croatia took the early lead with two goals, but Serbia not only found the strength to come back but overtook Croatia before half time with a score of 5-2. The second period was a turning point in this game, with Serbia scoring three unanswered goals.

In the second half, Serbia easily widened the score and made the victory especially sweet. 11-4 is the final score, which will be remembered forever by all fans of the tournament's winning team.  

FINA Worlds 2015. Water polo.

Men. Final.

Croatia vs Serbia – 4-11 (2-2, 0-3, 2-2, 0-4)

Water Polo Arena. August 8

Tomorrow, on the last day of competition, the names of the final world aquatics champions will be revealed. In the remaining competition – swimming – 8 sets of medals will be awarded. Men will compete in the 50m backstroke, 400m medley, 1,500m freestyle, and 4x100m medley. Women will fight for medals in the 50m breaststroke, 50m freestyle, 400m medley, and 4x100m medley.  The evening session starts at 17:32.  

Press Office of Organising Committee for 16th FINA World Championships